Method of making a metal sponge



May 23, 1933. P, KRANZ ET AL 1,910,612

METHOD OF MAKING A METAL SPONGE Filed Jan. 19, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY May 23,1933. P4 KRANZ ET AL 1,910,612

METHOD OF MAKING A METAL SPONGE Filed Jan. 19, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORN EY Patented May 23, 1933 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFIQE PHILLIP KRANZ AND ALBERT I. SGHMID, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AS-

SIGN OBS IO BERNARD WILMSEN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF MAKING A METAL SPONGE Application filed January 19, 1933. Serial No. 652,516.

' In cleaning or polishing metal surfaces an abradent which will scour or scrape such surfaces is often necessary and for this purpose a metal sponge has been used which has heretofore consisted of a loosely bunched mass of metal shavings resulting from the machining of metal parts or of specially prepared material, such as coiled resilient strands worked together into an entangled mass.

The metal sponge made of steel shavings is only fit for the coarser work, does not lend itself to proper packaging for sale or distribution and does not possess the appearance of a marketable commodity. The metal sponge made of a mass of coiled strands loosely bunched together is not quite practical in actual use, since the loosely bunched coiled Wires or strands tend to lump together-at certain points and to be spaced at other points so as to render a homogenous mass impossible. This form of metal sponge not only quickly loses the desired homogenuity but also, loses its. resilience after some use and I tends to fall apart, since the only thing that holds the parts together is the natural entanglement of the loosely bunched coiled strands or wire.

It is therefore the object of our invention to produce a novel metal sponge by a novel method, whereby a metal. sponge can be made of the desired texture and whereby such metal sponge will possess a permanent uniformity and resiliency.

A further object is to produce a metal sponge which is durable and of an attractive appearance and one which is inexpensive to produce.

The method of making our novel metal sponge and its various features and advan tages will be hereinafter more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which;

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating the method of manufacture.

Fig. 2 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of a length of a braid formed according to the showing in Fig. 1, prior to its formation into a metal sponge.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the braid shown in Fig. 2 formed into a metal sponge.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings in which like reference characters indicate like parts, and more particularly to Fig. 1, we show a supporting bracket 1 to which is secured a hollow shaft 2 by the set screw or other means 3. On the hollow shaft 2 is the tubular member 4 which has the rear pulley 5 which is adapted to be driven by any belt or connection (not shown) The tubular member 4 has the front head 7 from which projects the winding plate 8. The tubular member 4 also carries the rear disc 10 which carries the spools 11 and the front ring 12 which surrounds the head 7 and which acts as a guide for the strands 14 from the spools 11. Through the head 7 extend the push bars 16 which'are integral with or are adapted to be actuated by the push rods 17 which in turn are actuated by the revolving cam 18 on the tubular member 4. The push rods 17 are brought back to normal position by the springs 20. From a spool 21 a wire 22 passes through the hollow shaft 2 into a slot or groove in the side of the winding plate 8. From another spool 23 another wire 24 passes around the roller 25 to meet the wire 22 after the wire 22 has emerged from the slot in the plate 8. The slot in the plate 8 is cut away as at 26 in order to divert the wire 22 towards the roller 25, as shown in Fig. 1. The wires 22 and 24 are engaged by the hook 28 which is carried by the twirler pulley 29 which in turn is supported on a-platform 3O slidably mounted on the table 31 and constantly drawn away from the winding plate 8 along the table 31 in the direction of the arrow, by any suitable pulling device .(not shown). The twirler pulley 29 is rotated by a belt or other drive 27.

The. operation is as follows: With the tuular member 4 rotated by a belt or drive engaging thepulley 5 the spools 11, the ring 12, the head 7 and the winding plate are all revolved. This results in winding the strands 14 from the rolls 11 around the portion of the winding plate adjacent the head 7, into loops 34, and with every rotation of the tubular member 4 the cam 18 pushes forward the push rods 17 alternately, thus pushing the loops 34 on the winding plate 8 outwardly towards the free edge of said plate, until the loops 34 thus formed are gradually thrown off the winding plate 8. This brings the loops 34 into proximity with the roller 25, and the twirler 29 engaging the wire 22 inside of the loops 34:, as well as the wire 24 outside of the loops 34, now twists the wires 22 and 2a or plaits them together, thus fastening the loops 34 rigidly between the twisted wires 22 and 2a to produce the braid shown in proc= ess of construction in Fig. 1 and completely formed at the left hand section of Fig. 2. In the right hand section of Fig. 2 the braid has been cut so as to show the manner in which the wires 22 and 24 are braided together and the manner in which they engage the loops 34 of the finished braid. Concurrently with the formation of loops 34:, and as the loops are pushed 0d the winding plate 8 the platform 30 carrying the twirler 29 is gradually moved along the rail or table 31 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, by any desirable expedient, until a desired length of braid has been formed, whereupon the machine is stopped, the wires 22 and 24: are cut, the finished braid is removed, and the fresh end of the wires 22 and 24 are again engaged by the hook 28 and another length of braid is formed.

In order to form a metal sponge, the braid which is formed of the desired metal strands (having the necessary resiliency, as well as toughness) is then coiled spirally, as shown in Fig. 3, and is fastened in the coiled spiral condition by any suitable means, such as by one or more wires 38 which are passed through the spirally wound braid in the form of a stitch, that is above and below alternate circles of the braid, the wire being then I turned upon itself and passed back towards its point of beginning, also alternately above and below each successive circular formation of braid, the free ends of the wire 38 being twisted together, all as shown in Fig. 8. While we have found this to be an inexpensive and eflicient way of securing the coiled braid together in the form of a circular sponge, it is to be understood that any other desired manner of securing the same in position can be employed.

Fig. a shows a cross section of a metal sponge formed as shown in Fig. 3 and consisting of a single layer or thickness, but it is to be understood that two or more sponges coiled as shown in Fig. 3 can be superimposed upon each other to any desired thickness if a more bulky metal sponge is desired. The strands employed to form the metal sponge shown in Figs. 3 and 4 are preferably of a rust proof metal and are of a gauge and resiliency to suit different requirements. A metal sponge formed according to the disclosure of Fig. 3 possesses a compactness which prevents the separation of the fluffy constituents of the sponge and thus prevents the passage of the fingers of the operator through the sponge, as frequently happens in the use of conventional metal sponges which are formed of coiled strands loosely thrown together and allowed to work themselves into a sponge by the process of entanglement of the coils with each other, in which construction a non-uniform product results because ofthe tendency of the coiled strands to hunch thickly at certain points and to be loosely interconnected at other points.

While we have shown a specific form of machine for producing the braid shown in Fig. 2, it is to be understood that this is only by way of illustration and not by way of limitation, as any other form of machine could be used.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of making a metal sponge which consists of feeding a strand onto a rotating member to form loops, passing a strand through said loops, plaiting the strand passing through said loops with another strand external to said loops to form a braid, forming said braid into contiguous coils and fastening said coils together to form one mass.

2. The method of making a metal sponge which consists of feeding a plurality of strands onto a rotating member to form loops, passing a strand through said loops, plaiting the strand passing through said loops with another strand external to said loops to form a braid, forming said braid into contiguous coils and fastening said coils together to form one mass.

In testimony whereof, we afiiX our signatures.

PHILLIP KRANZ. ALBERT P. SGHMID. 

